This section provides background information related to the present disclosure and is not necessarily prior art.
A climate control system such as, for example, a refrigeration system, a heat pump system, or an air conditioning system, includes one or more compressors circulating a working fluid through a fluid circuit. Each compressor may include an oil sump containing oil to lubricate and cool various components within the compressor. A shell of the compressor may include an opening in fluid communication with the oil sump. A valve may be fluidly connected to the opening and may be movable between open and closed positions to selectively allow oil to be added or extracted from the oil sump.
In a multiple compressor system, the oil sumps of two or more of the compressors may be in fluid communication with each other via an oil equalization conduit. Oil may be transferred between the compressors through the oil equalization conduit to equalize oil levels in the respective oil sump of each compressor, thereby ensuring that an oil level in any one compressor does not fall below a predetermined level. The oil equalization conduit may be fluidly coupled with the opening in the shell in one of a variety of ways such as brazing the conduit directly to a fitting or connecting the conduit to the fitting via an intermediate connector, for example.